As a diver descends under water, his/her overall buoyancy is determined by the relationship between overall body and equipment weight and the weight of the water displaced. If the diver and equipment is heavier than the water they displace, the diver sinks. If the diver and equipment is lighter than the water they displace, the diver floats. While underwater, the diver inhales compressed gas from a tank and exhales into the surrounding environment, thus removing the weight of this used air from the diver's overall weight and changing the diver's buoyancy. In order to remain at a give underwater depth, it is desirable that the diver have some means of maintaining buoyancy.
Early buoyancy compensation devices used lead weights hung on a belt about the waist that could be cast off when no longer needed, i.e., as the diver became lighter due to utilization of air. Lead weight belts allowed buoyancy to be adjusted in increments that may or may not be practical. Later advances introduced the use of a vest, worn by the diver, on which various weights, tools, and the like could be hung. Later models of diving vests use air-tight compartments built into the vest, which may be orally inflated by the diver and later adjusted through gas released from the compartment to provide closer control over buoyancy.
These prior art devices require attention by the diver and use of fingers in removing weights, pulling out a tube to orally inflate the vest, and adjusting valves to release gas from the vest. Recently, efforts have been made to simplify and semi-automate the compartment inflation/deflation process. Gas valves are inserted in the gas breathing line to allow inflating of the compartment by operating an inflation valve or button and deflating the compartment by operating an exhaust valve or button (to exhaust gas to the surrounding environment) and grouping these valves and buttons in one place for use by the fingers of one hand. U.S. patents such as U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,487,647; 3,727,250; 4,054,132; 4,068,657; 4,523,914; 4,529,333; 4,681,552; 4,779,554; 4,913,589; and 5,256,094 are examples of recent prior art disclosing inventions that attempt to improve the operation of what are now known as “buoyancy compensation” vests. While some of these inventions have proved somewhat useful, they have not solved problems encountered in more aggressive diving environments.
For instance, divers are now diving deeper where the water is colder and where the light level is substantially lower. In addition, divers are exploring more old sunken vessels, narrower caves, and heavier vegetation. Less light and colder temperatures mean more difficulty in finding the exact button to press to make the vest lighter or heavier. Cold temperatures in particular make it difficult to use fingers to manipulate the buttons. Entering more sunken vessels and encountering heavier vegetation means more chances of snagging the vest on some extraneous element, be it an old cable, an abandoned rope or hawser, or on a thick root or branch.
Prior art buoyancy vests, such as the one shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,256,094, display a sheathed cable running outside the buoyancy vest, from the side of the vest rearward and upward to the rear of the shoulder area. This is a very important cable and could cause the diver serious problems if it is caught on some projection on the sunken vessel, or on a root or branch. In the same patent, the vest exhaust valve is in the form of a rather large lump located high on the rear shoulder of the vest that provides a collision danger with extraneous elements in close proximity to the vest. FIG. 1 shows another exemplary prior art buoyancy compensation vest. A bulky inflation apparatus has manual inflator 2, inflation controller button 6, deflation controller 4 attached to high-profile inflator connection 10 above left should panel 9. Deflation valve 44 above right shoulder panel 9 also has a high profile.
As buoyancy compensation vests become more developed and more sophisticated, new devices are implemented to adjust the buoyancy. Some manufacturers have removed time-tested manual overrides that provide a measure of safety and protection to the diver. A need exists for a simplified method for manipulating inflation valves and deflation valves on buoyancy compensation vests under extreme conditions, while still utilizing known safety measures. The inflation valves, deflation valves and associated controls should have a sleek, low profile that is less susceptible to snagging and improves the aesthetic appearance of the diving vest.